No plans for 'Silent September' for Lehigh Valley soccer leagues

Southern Lehigh youth soccer team members Matthew O’Neill and Matthew Dequevedo play in this file photo from 2015.

Southern Lehigh youth soccer team members Matthew O’Neill and Matthew Dequevedo play in this file photo from 2015.

(HARRY FISHER/MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO)

Special to The Morning Call

Local youth soccer leagues aren't planning any changes for the upcoming fall season after the South Carolina Youth Soccer Association declared a "Silent September" for spectators that is designed to eliminate inappropriate heckling and rude behavior direct at players, coaches and referees.

Spectators at SCYSA league game will not be allowed to cheer or jeer during the month of September, and may be removed from the field if they do not quiet down after a second and final warning.

Locally, youth soccer leagues already have guidelines in place in order to deal with unruly fans.

According to the Associated Press, SCYSA hopes the "Silent September" policy will quiet disturbing spectator behavior that is escalating against fellow spectators, coaches, players as well as affecting the recruitment and retention of new referees.

"It can be very difficult to get 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds to referee games when they're going to be abused, yelled at and criticized by adults," said Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League Executive Director Rob Rooney, who is also coach of the Lehigh Valley Tempest, a team of college-aged players in the Women's Premier Soccer League. "It's been an issue and we're always looking for new ways, innovative ways to curb behavior."

The South Carolina edict also bans cheering for players as well, and while even cheering sometimes borders on becoming obnoxious, Rooney feels that curbing cheering is taking the issue a bit too far.

"I'm sure everybody understands the theory and general concept of what they're trying to do," Rooney said of South Carolina, "but no cheering, maybe that's taking it a little too far. I don't know if South Carolina is dealing with specific situations, but many youth leagues are dealing with the same issues."

Rooney said many youth leagues have embraced a "Silent Saturday" or "Silent Sunday" concept once in a while, but the full month ban seems like a long period.

Anthony Lauro, a local soccer referee and referee game assignor, agrees with the idea of cracking down on unruly fan behavior at the youth level, but notes that the area's youth soccer league already have steps in place in their bylaws or rules of play to address the situation.

"This is a step in the right direction to curtail unruly behavior," Lauro said of the South Carolina initiative, "but the leagues in our area already have policies in place to regulate spectator behavior, and the referees have the ability to ask a coach to remove parents that cross the line of healthy cheering and encouragement. Unruly behavior is becoming more prevalent in youth sports in general, especially toward younger officials who represent the future of the game."

The Lehigh Valley YSL has two specific rules in place, one regarding treatment of referees and the other dealing with verbal abuse (or worse) toward any player, coach or referee. Ejections, supplemental discipline and fines are involved.

"The idea of 'Silent September' to deal with poor spectator behavior is an interesting idea, since soccer teams have some of the most passionate fans in sports," said Greg Hoover, president of the Blue Mountain Youth Soccer League. "That passion really creates a fantastic atmosphere at many games. But when it becomes derogatory in nature towards individuals on the field, especially at the youth levels, it does our game more harm than good. When referees, coaches or players don't continue to participate in soccer due to fan behavior, it limits the future pool of knowledgeable and passionate participants that are needed to help soccer continue to grow in the U.S."

The BMYSL empowers the youth coaches in a Code of Conduct, which includes a statement that coaches should "Ensure that your team and spectators treat the opposing team and referees with respect, and assist the game officials in maintaining control before, during, and after game play."

And the Northern Valley YSL has a strict "zero tolerance" policy that states, "All persons responsible for a team and all of the spectators shall support the referee at all times. Failure to do so will undermine the referee's authority and has the very real potential of creating a hostile environment for the players, the referee and all of the other participants and spectators."

Representatives from the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, which governs youth soccer in the eastern half of the state, did not return phone calls for comment on this matter.